Artisan X-Plorer Manual Die Cutting Machine from Spellbinders

July 17, 2013

I love papercrafting, mixed media, and jewelry crafting, so I was especially excited to see the Artisan X-Plorer debuted at CHA winter earlier this year. It’s a heavier-duty “press” type of manual die-cutting machine.

According to the website,

Introducing the new Spellbinders® Artisan X-plorer™ Machine, a multi-purpose, high pressure machine! This elegantly designed, compact roller press is perfect for cutting, embossing and pressing with a multitude of materials, including paper, metals, fabrics, plastics and more!

The Artisan X-plorer Machine accommodates Spellbinders Media Mixáge™ products as well as Spellbinders die templates and embossing folders up to 4¼” wide. It features the same idea of our color coded plates to either cut or emboss in a single pass. This will no doubt become your go-to crafting solution for all kinds of projects, from jewelry to home décor, adornments to art journals, cards, layouts, fabric arts and mixed media!

With an integrated handle design, and weighing only five pounds, the Spellbinders Artisan X-plorer Machine is portable and convenient to use anywhere! The machine has a stability base to keep it in place during use.

Approximate Dimensions:

W x H x Depth: 10¾ x 7¾ x 4½”

Handle is 4½” (top to bottom) and 2” in width

Shipping Weight with Mats: 7.0 lbs.

Tan Embossing Pads contains Natural Rubber Latex (NRL)

So let’s take a closer look!

It comes with the Embossing Plate, Embossing Mat, Base Plate and Cutting Mat. While it says that there is an “integrated handle,” that is not exactly true. There is a nice grippy surface on top so that you can hold on to the machine, but there is no carrying handle.

It has a smaller opening than most die-cutting machines- it will only accommodate dies and folders up to 4 1/4 inches. The opening is about 1 inch high, so that means it won’t accept any steel-rule dies.

The Cutting Mats are about 8 inches long.

It uses a suction lever to adhere the machine to the work surface. I found that I had to re-attach it to my table after every pass.

The book is text-only and has only instructions for using it with other Spellbinders products. If you want to use other manufacturer’s dies and folders, you have to look for the instructions here.

First, I’ll show you a few videos I made. The first is an overview of the machine. The second gives you a better feel for what it will and won’t cut.

Part Two:

Now for the stills of my swatches!

Not so impressive. (har, har!)

So here’s the nitty-gritty! This is a very adequate machine for jewelry makers and mixed-media and/or card artists that are just getting into the die-cutting arena. It’s small, sturdy, and great for smaller-scale projects using Spellbinders products. If you already have another die-cutting machine with a collection of other dies, it would not make sense for you to switch over considering that it will only cut small and thin-rule dies. It would be a great gift, too, considering the low price point.

You also might be interested in my other reviews of Spellbinders products:

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Comments

Thanks for the review on the Artisan X-Plorer, Jenny! I had thought about purchasing one when I saw it being used in a Spellbinders video but having seen you actually use it, I’ve decided to just stick with my trusty Cuttlebug! I didn’t realize (and did not like) the fact that it only cut 4 1/4 inches wide! Seems a bit silly as the majority of Nestabilities seem to run a bit larger in size. My Cuttlebug works just fine but I do wish it would cut the Grand Nestabilities! 🙂

It’s really interesting to actually see what this will – and won’t – cut. As someone who makes jewellery to sell, and uses a BigShot for embossing the likes of Vintaj blanks and copper blanks, I was hopeful that this machine would actually cut metal blanks which I could use in the same way, rather than just paper or card to fit into the Media Mixage shapes.

From the picture you’ve shown above of it not cutting the heavy metal properly, I can see that it’s back to the drawing board as far as that idea goes! Can you tell me what the gauge of the metal shown in the picture was please? I’m in the UK, but should be able to translate to the sizes we use.

Thanks for that. How annoying!!! I did check their site, but it seemed a bit vague as to what it would cut through. I guess my trusty BigShot will just have to keep on going, it seems to deal with just about anything, and this one obviously won’t do as much as it’s got such a small aperture.

I like the small size of it. I thought that “integrated handle” referred to the crank being part of the machine and not attached separately as with some other machines.

I don’t have a lot of space and use mostly Nestabilities and the smallish embossing folders, so I think this would work well for me still as a backup to my Vagabond in case I ever have a problem with it.

I’m getting one of these for my birthday. I wanted it to make charms for purses I make. I also have a Sizzix for things like paper cutting/embossing (it’s not a huge one but big enough), however, for what I’m wanting to make I think the X-plorer will work just fine. Watching the video is helpful for learning how to use it and what I can and cannot do with it. Thanks!

I’ve just won one from a local craft shop, I’m quite excited to see what it will and won’t cut… you say it will cut the Cuttlebug dies (thank god for that ‘cos I have loads as I have a Cuttlebug already!) but not the Sizzix steel rule ones – however the Sizzlets embossing folders will go thru?… have you tried the standard Sizzix thin dies especially the Tim Holtz alterations long dies eg the rosette and alphabet dies?

I am looking for a machine that will cut metal and spellbinders said the Artisan should do it but were very vauge about gauges of metal. I was interested to see that E Coral Smith uses a Bigshot for embossing, does she also use it to cut metal?

They also have it at Tuesday Morning in Columbus, Oh for the same price. That is why I finally got one for myself. Though I wouldn’t mind one that can do larger dies etc. I’m fairly happy with it and the dies I also found at Tuesday Morning. So far I tried thin sheet metal, wall paper, various thickness papers, silk and fabric remnants. The silk only cut for the section of the sample that had paper stuck to it, the other fabric didn’t cut at all 🙁 The wall paper and metal came out wonderfully as did the paper. Now I just need to find dies that are animals (dogs and cats) that are small enough for my jewelry and mixed media designs

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Hi! I’m Jenny, the co-host of Hands On Crafts for Kids on PBS and the Head Dummy behind CraftTestDummies.com where you’ll find craft product reviews, tutorials, and craft industry news.

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CraftTestDummies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Jenny Barnett Rohrs is Head Dummy and Pied Piper behind CTD, which focuses on reviews, tutorials, and craft industry news. Jenny has appeared on HSN, Scrapbook Soup PBS series, and is currently the co-host of Hands On Crafts for Kids on PBS.

Copyrighted Content Permission All images and tutorials on this blog are copyrighted material. Please contact me if you would like to borrow any media (photos, video or audio files), tutorials, or ideas from this blog. 99% of the time I would be happy to allow you to use one photo with appropriate credit and link back to CraftTestDummies.com (preferably to the same post it was borrowed from.)